Friendship, Love, and Demons(FINISHED)
by KipperMay
Summary: Okay, loves...it's finally REALLY finished! I know the title was misleading, but...here goes. Buffy and Oz take their relationship to a whole new level..Please R/R Also, this was co-written by my best friend, Shawnee
1. The Invitation

Chapter 1: The Invitation  
  
Buffy stared at the telephone, mustering courage. "Just call him! He's just—him! No big deal!" She sighed. " I mean, for Christ's sake, I'm the Slayer! This should NOT be a big deal!" She picked up the phone, dialed his number, and let it ring. Suddenly, he picked up at his house.  
  
"Hel--" Buffy slammed down the phone onto the receiver. She stared at it a moment before reaching to call again.  
  
The telephone rang. Buffy jerked, startled, but finally picked it up.  
  
" Hello?"  
  
She heard Oz clear his throat, and finally speak. "Buffy? Did you just try to call me?"  
  
Buffy took a deep breath to slow her heart's frenzied pace. "Y—yeah, yeah I did."  
  
He cleared his throat again, and Buffy swore she could detect a hint of nervousness in his simple "Why?"  
  
" Well—I wanted to, um, invite you to dinner…for Thanksgiving! Um, at Giles' house?"  
  
Silence for a moment. Then, "Yeah, okay. What time?" Buffy nearly collapsed with relief.  
  
"Is eight o' clock okay?"  
  
" Great. Bye…" Oz replied.  
  
" Bye!"  
  
She slammed the phone onto the receiver. The poor phone probably couldn't take much more of this, and neither could she. WHY WAS SHE FREAKING OUT? Thinking to herself, she came up with no logical answers.  
  
" Hey, Buffy, what are you doing?" Willow asked from behind her. Buffy whirled around, startled, and suddenly was more nervous than before.  
  
" Um…nothing. I just called…" She stopped. "Oz," she said under her breath.  
  
" Oh, Tara is coming. What should I wear? She's taking me to the Magic Box." Willow obviously hadn't heard Buffy mention Oz's name. Willow was too occupied with her collection of clothes thrown into her closet. Buffy cleared her throat.  
  
" Willow!" Willow turned around, holding a t-shirt up against her chest. Buffy sighed. " I called Oz. You know, and I—I invited him to Thanksgiving dinner at Giles' tonight." Willow's eyes widened in horror.  
  
" What?" He's—he's not coming, is he?" Buffy nodded.  
  
" He said he'd be there at eight." Willow threw the shirt to the floor.  
  
" Now I really don't know what to wear!" 


	2. Dinner Time

Chapter 2: Dinner Time  
  
Buffy rushed frantically in and out of Giles' kitchen. Giles watched her in amazement.  
  
" I have never seen you so fascinated with cooking. You're paying more attention to that turkey than you ever have to me," he said with a slight grin.  
  
" Have no fear, Xander is here! There will be no leftovers from THAT turkey tonight!"  
  
" Xander, can you eat that whole roasted bird by yourself? I think you'd have to be really fat," Anya said, giving Xander a confused look.  
  
" Anya, honey, it was a joke," Xander replied. " So…where's Willow?" Xander asked, looking toward Buffy. Buffy glanced around.  
  
"Willow? Um…I guess she's with Tara." Xander couldn't resist wrinkling his nose. He was about to speak when the doorbell rang. Buffy leapt toward the door.  
  
"It's not eight already, is it?" She yelled. Giles nodded.  
  
"Actually it's eight-fifteen." Buffy frowned.  
  
"I look terrible." She pulled open the door. Oz stood waiting, his hair black and blue, holding a single rose. He smiled when he saw her, and offered the rose to her.  
  
"For you. For, you know, inviting me to--to dinner." She took the rose and smiled.  
  
"Thanks, Oz! Come on in." He walked past her and walked over to Xander. The two spoke quietly in the corner.  
  
At around eight-thirty Willow walked in holding Tara's hand (who was obviously nervous).  
  
"So, now you come," Xander said, "I'm starving. Giles says it's polite to wait until the guests arrived. So…." As Xander went on about food he could tell no one was listening because they were all focusing on Willow and Tara who had just entered.  
  
"Hi everyone." Willow said looking at Oz. They all sat down to eat. There was an awkward silence until Xander interrupted the quiet.  
  
"So, Oz, good to have you for dinner. I mean at dinner. I mean…you know." Oz nodded with a half smile on his face. He glanced at Buffy, flashed a real smile, and looked back at his plate. Willow cleared her throat, and he looked up at her. She forced a smile.  
  
"You should have kept in touch," she said quietly.  
  
Oz raised an eyebrow, "Why? You've moved on. Can't I?" Silence fell on the table as Giles, Xander, Tara, Anya and Buffy looked worriedly at the former couple. Willow frowned at him.  
  
"I never said that. But it might have been easier for you--if you had cared enough to call or write once in a blue moon." Oz stood up, setting his napkin on the table and grabbing his coat.  
  
"You're right. If you don't want me here, say so, okay? Far be it from me to ruin your dinner." He looked at everyone else. "Thanks for the great dinner. I appreciate it." He stole one more look at Willow, and left. Willow watched him coldly until he was gone. Buffy stood up.  
  
"Willow could-could I talk to you in the kitchen?" Willow shrugged.  
  
"'Kay." She kissed Tara on the cheek and followed Buffy out of the room. Xander looked around with wide eyes.  
  
" Whoa, did I totally just miss something here?" Giles shook his head.  
  
"I'm as lost as you are."  
  
Buffy glared at her best friend. "What is your problem? I thought that you were trying to be friends with Oz!" Willow glared back.  
  
"My problem? Maybe you didn't hear him," she replied evenly.  
  
"Willow, he's trying! You still have his heart, whether you know it or not! And…and every time you're so blatantly rude or, or you rub it in his face with Tara, it kills him! Don't you care?" Willow turned away.  
  
"Oh, so now you know everything, right? Oz left me, may I remind you, and I got on with my life. I can't help the way he feels, or, for that matter the way I feel about Tara. Why shouldn't I show how I feel? Should I stop loving Tara, just because Oz is being more clingy than staticky clothes?"  
  
"Well the least you could do is go talk to him." Buffy said. She could tell that Willow did care about how Oz felt. So why was she being like this? Willow shook her head.  
  
" I can't. I can't see him anymore, Buffy—I just don't want to. He has to move on!" Her voice rose, and she yelled, " I'm not his anymore! Tell him to leave me alone!" and hurried back into the dining room. Buffy grabbed her coat and left.  
  
After walking for what seemed like forever, she spotted Oz's van. She ran up to it while it was stopped at a stoplight.  
  
" Oz, I'm sorry about that," she said with a sympathetic look.  
  
" It's okay. I knew something like that was gonna happen. Do you need a lift?" he asked.  
  
" Sure. Thanks." She climbed into his van. As they pulled away from the stoplight, he glanced at her.  
  
" Where to?" She smiled.  
  
" The stars," she replied dramatically. He glanced at her, eyebrow raised. "Kidding," she said quickly. He chuckled and turned back to the road. " Seriously? I don't know," she continued. He sighed.  
  
" I shouldn't have come. I'm sorry," he muttered. She touched his shoulder.  
  
" Oz, I'm glad you did." She rolled her eyes. " Anyway, those dinners can get excruciatingly boring. It's kind of nice, being here with you."  
  
Oz was surprised. He and Buffy had never really talked much, and if they did, it was usually about Willow. He hadn't ever just…hung out with her. He kind of liked it, he realized, smiling. She was easy to be around, and being without Willow somehow didn't hurt quite so much when she was with him. Plus, he noticed, she didn't smell half bad, either.  
  
The two sat and talked, not anything big, but little chit-chat. After driving almost around the whole little town of Sunnydale, they arrived at Oz's house. He parked the van and turned to her, clearing his throat nervously.  
  
" Do you, uh, do you want to come in? We could, you know, get a soda or something." Buffy smiled.  
  
" Sure, why not?" She didn't think much of it, but she was still really nervous. They walked in, and Oz cleared a spot of Buffy to sit. 


	3. A Little Too Good

Chapter 3: A Little Too Good  
  
" So, what do you want to drink? Juice or soda?" Oz asked, trying not to sound nervous.  
  
" Oz, I'm glad you're my friend," Buffy commented quietly. He glanced at her, surprised.  
  
" Really?" And that's when it hit him—Buffy was beautiful. She smiled.  
  
" Yes, really. And—and Willow doesn't know what she's losing, letting you go. If—well, if I were in her place, no way I would let you get away." He blushed, smiled, and turned to the fridge.  
  
" So, soda, then." Buffy nodded, still smiling.  
  
" Yeah, sounds good." They looked at each other, both quite aware of the now awkward situation. Their eyes locked, and Buffy could feel her heart pound. Finally, he handed her a Coke, shut the fridge, and turned away.  
  
" So…do you wanna watch some TV?" Oz mustered the courage to finally ask.  
  
" Um, yeah! I heard that 'Armageddon' Is on Starz." He cringed.  
  
" I'm not a big Ben Affleck person, but Liv Tyler works…"Buffy laughed as they sat together on the couch. As Oz flipped the TV on, she scooted closer to him. He glanced at her, surprised, but smiled, looked back at the TV and flipped channels until he found the movie.  
  
As the movie started, Oz tried to watch, but he kept thinking about Buffy—her smile. Her beautiful blue-green eyes…  
  
" Oz?" Buffy asked. " Do you think, I mean, do you feel a little…never mind." She turned back to the TV.  
  
" What?" Oz asked. He couldn't resist stealing a glance at her. She sighed.  
  
" Don't you think this feels a little…awkward?" He frowned, pulled away from her and stood up.  
  
" My God, I'm sorry, I didn't mean…you're freaked. I'm sorry…I didn't realize…" She stood up, too, and put a finger to his lips.  
  
" That's not what I meant. Awkward was the wrong word. Maybe I meant…I don't know…like, a little too good. Doesn't it feel a little too good?"  
  
" Well, yeah, maybe, I mean…this is just…like perfect timing, or not ever timing," Oz said. Buffy's finger was still close to his lips. As she pulled her finger away, they moved closer, their lips touched and Oz carefully wrapped his arms around Buffy's waist, deepening the kiss. They stood together for awhile, kissing, before Buffy finally pulled away, smiling.  
  
" Correction," she whispered. " Now it feels a little too good." He kissed her again. 


	4. Stange Feelings, Stranger Conversations

Chapter 4: Strange Feelings, Stranger Conversations  
  
" Xander, do you think dinner at Giles' will always be that fun?" Anya asked, looking at Xander.  
  
"Anya, that wasn't fun. Two of my friends are mad at each other. Fighting—I hate it. And to you, how do you find it funny?" Xander asked, his voice deepening. Anya looked at him, her eyes small, and her puppy-dog face made Xander apologize quickly. She sighed.  
  
" Xander, I was a demon. When I see pain, most of the time, it's pretty fun. Sorry." He hugged her.  
  
" Forgiven."  
  
Giles sighed as he cleaned up the kitchen. " Well, that couldn't have been more of a disaster," he muttered to himself. He felt terrible. He knew how it felt to be in Oz's shoes—cast out, alone, and in pain, to be largely ignored by those whom you thought loved you…he shook his head. He couldn't begin feeling sorry for himself, not now. As he washed the silverware, he idly wondered where Buffy had gone. He never would have guessed.  
  
Buffy hugged Oz, and kissed him lightly, then grabbed her coat. " Call you," she whispered before leaving. He watched her go, and then shut the door, heaving a sigh. Was he over Willow, then, just like that? He flopped down onto the couch, relieved that he and Buffy hadn't made love. He felt like he loved her, but somehow he didn't want it to be permanent. Not yet, anyway. He had to think for a while.  
  
Buffy made up her mind not to tell Willow, or any one for that matter. She walked home and tried not to be noticed.  
  
" Buffy, honey, is that you?" Joyce called from the kitchen.  
  
"Yeah mom." Buffy called back as she walked up the stairs to her room.  
  
"Willow called." Joyce called back.  
  
Buffy walked up to her room and dialed Willow's number. She had planned on avoiding the conversation reverting to Ox.  
  
"Hello." Willow said.  
  
"Hi Will, did you call?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Yeah. I wanted to apologize. I acted bad at Giles."  
  
"Will, it's okay. I don't care I could see where you were coming from." Willow seemed surprised.  
  
"You could?" Buffy smiled.  
  
"Yeah I guess so."  
  
They were quiet for a minute, and then Willow said, "So where did you go?" Buffy silently cursed.  
  
"Oh, I just walked a little," she finally replied telling herself that her answer was not a lie. She really had walked….  
  
"Oh," Willow finally said, "Did you find Oz?"  
  
Buffy panicked. "Uh, listen, Willow, can I talk to you later? My mom needs me to help her, okay?" Willow stammered and "Okay," and Buffy slammed the phone down.  
  
"I'm so dead." She moaned, falling backward on her bed.  
  
Willow turned off her phone, confused. What was with Buffy?  
  
"Tara?" Willow asked turning around to see if her girlfriend was still at her side.  
  
"Yeah, what did Buffy say? I am assuming it was Buffy." Tara asked with a questioned look on her face.  
  
"I don't know, it was a weird conversation. Yeah it was Buffy."  
  
Giles rushed to the phone and called Buffy.  
  
"Buffy come over quick. A new evil." Giles said breathing hard. 


	5. The New Evil

Chapter 5: The New Evil  
  
The whole "scooby gang" sat around Giles. This was minus Oz.  
  
"He is a demon. His name is Unselena. His previous visit to Sunnydale was five-hundred years ago. He was stopped by the previous slayer or slayer around that time. There is a great deal of his account. He rises every five-hundred years. His goal would be to open the Hellmouth. But he comes back more powerful every time he rises." Giles finally finished. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.  
  
"So…I'm supposed to stop him?" Buffy asked. She already knew the answer.  
  
" Yes. We'll help, naturally. He has already killed three people. Except…he makes…sacrifices--"  
  
" Let me guess, babies?" Buffy asked, trying to act smart.  
  
" No, actually. The demon sacrifices teenagers…young females." Giles sat down, looking at the three teenagers in the room: Buffy, Willow, and Tara. Willow looked at Tara, then at Buffy, and then at Giles, whose gaze hadn't passed over Anya.  
  
" What about Anya? I mean, he can tell she's not a normal teenager?" Giles nodded.  
  
" Precisely. Now, this demon—Unselana—is remarkably intelligent, and, consequently, difficult to defeat."  
  
Buffy nodded. " Figured. So, how did the other Slayer manage it?"  
  
Giles rubbed the bridge of his nose. "She, uh, she didn't, actually." Buffy's face fell.  
  
" She didn't defeat it?" Her voice was dangerous. Giles cringed.  
  
" She couldn't," he said cautiously, then quickly added, " but she did manage to put Unselana back underground for another five hundred years." Xander raised his eyebrows.  
  
" Hey, better than a stake through the heart, right?"  
  
Buffy nodded. "Right. Giles…how did she do that, if you don't mind? Or is there anything else you forgot to mention, like, the gruesome and bloody death of a Slayer?"  
  
Giles shifted uncomfortably, and cleared his throat. " Actually, I wasn't sure you wanted to hear that part…"Buffy stood up indignantly.  
  
" She died?"  
  
Giles motioned for her to sit down. " It takes—takes the sacrifice of the Slayer, or the blood of someone willing to sacrifice themselves in her place."  
  
" Hey Giles? You are way too smart," Anya commented.  
  
" So…I have to die. Again," Buffy said. She grabbed her coat and walked out. She walked toward Oz's, and was surprised to find that he was actually home. 


	6. Caught in the Act!

Chapter 6: Caught in the Act!  
  
Buffy stood at Oz's door, and when she was finally about to leave, Oz answered.  
  
" Buffy! Hey, I'm glad you came," he said with a smiled. " Come on in."  
  
" Oz, I need to talk to you. I'm having a really bad day," Buffy told Oz as he motioned her to his couch. He sat next to her, and put his arm around her shoulders.  
  
" Well, don't we all have bad days?" he asked, trying to make her feel better.  
  
" There's a new demon in town. I guess you could say that it's one of the worse kind. Well…he rises every five hundred years, and he is going to raise the Hellmouth," Buffy said, turning to Oz, hoping for words of encouragement.  
  
" Isn't that the normal day of a Slayer?" he asked, to lighten the mood.  
  
" That isn't the worst part, unfortunately. This demon—he sacrifices young teenage girls. My age! For once you should be lucky you're a guy. Wait…you never wanted to be a girl…right?" she asked with a worried look.  
  
"No, of course not," Oz laughed. " Not even when Willow decided that she liked them better…" He smiled at her. Then he leaned in for a kiss. The two sat there and kissed for a minute, then, afterward, Oz held Buffy in his arms while he turned on the TV.  
  
" Oz…you just made my day a little more tolerable," Buffy sighed, smiling at him. He smiled back.  
  
" That's my job." She hugged him tightly, and he lightly touched her chin, gently lifting it to kiss her. When he pulled away, she was smiling.  
  
" I love it when you do that," she said. She kissed him again, and neither of them noticed Willow standing in the doorway, until she cleared her throat, loudly.  
  
" Ahem. Buffy? What was all that about you wanting me to talk to him? Because it looks like you were a little more eager to 'talk' than I was!" She turned and walked out the door.  
  
" Willow! Stop!" Buffy jumped out of Oz's arms and tried to catch Willow. Buffy grabbed her arm.  
  
" Why should I wait for you? We're supposed to be best friends! You should have been able to tell me…but…why Oz?" Willow demanded.  
  
" Willow, you said you had moved on, and…Oz needed someone to be there. He's so sweet to me! And I really like him." She let go of Willow's arm. Will shook her head.  
  
" Do you? Or are you just lonely and desperate because Riley left?"  
  
Buffy took a step backward, hurt. " How could you say that? You think that I would use him?"  
  
Willow sighed. " I don't want to talk about this. Just…go back in, have your Oz, but leave me alone." Willow hurried away as Oz emerged from the house.  
  
" My fault?" he asked quietly. His eyes were sad. Buffy shook her head, grabbing his hand and weaving her fingers into his.  
  
" Not your fault." 


	7. An Eyeball Gouging, Painful, Bloody Deat...

Chapter 7: An Eyeball Gouging, Painful, Bloody Death (Not Really!)  
  
" Tara, I saw them! Together!" Willow exclaimed as she burst into Tara's dorm.  
  
" Willow…? Who?" Tara asked, as calmly as she could.  
  
" Buffy and Oz! They were together…kissing! Why am I freaking out about this?" she asked, looking at Tara. Tara sighed.  
  
" Come sit down," she said, motioning to a spot on the couch. " Maybe you haven't completely let go of him. Or maybe…it feels like a betrayal, because you thought he loved you, and because Buffy never told you. You know, like how she said that she knew how you felt, and then did that behind your back," Tara said, hugging Willow.  
  
" Maybe. But, I'm with you, body and heart. My whole heart; Oz doesn't have it anymore." She kissed Tara tenderly.  
  
" Xander? Do you love me?" Anya asked, snuggling into Xander's arms.  
  
" Of course I do," he replied, smiling. Anya sighed.  
  
" I mean, really love me. Like, 'gouge-out-your-eyes-then-die-a- terrible-and-painful-bloody-death' love me?"  
  
Xander shifted uncomfortably. "Anya, dearest, where is this going?" She shrugged.  
  
" Well, I don't know. But if that demon made a mistake and was going to sacrifice me—would you rescue me?" Xander laughed, nervously.  
  
" I guess so…but I think that all rescuing should be left to those qualified to…you know…rescue."  
  
Anya pushed him away, folding her arms and pouting. " You wouldn't rescue me. You hate me, don't you?"  
  
Xander rolled his eyes, but pulled her close. " Of course I would. I love you—in that eyeball gouging, painful, bloody death way."  
  
Anya grinned. " Knew you'd see it my way." 


	8. The Sacrifice

Chapter 8: The Sacrifice  
  
Buffy stepped nervously into the alley. "Here demon, demon, demon, come out, come out, wherever you are!" she called shakily into the darkness. She could hear it breathing, a low growl. Cautiously, Buffy took a step forward, her crossbow ready. Maybe she wouldn't have to sacrifice herself if she could kill it…  
  
After kissing passionately on the couch, Buffy had reluctantly pulled away from Oz. "I face it tonight, you know. The demon?"  
  
He had kissed her forehead, smiling. " You'll do great."  
  
She had only shaken her head, on the verge of tears. " Oz—they said that to stop it I have to sacrifice myself. This—if they're right, this is the last time we'll be together."  
  
He had just held her, and then finally said, "You're brilliant. You'll find a way."  
  
She had kissed him goodbye, painfully, and now she was here. With Unselana. She lunged forward and let the arrow fly at the demon. The arrow did little damage to the demon's armored skin. She nervously loaded another arrow, but was stopped by the big green hand around her neck. Struggling wildly, she got free by kicking Unselana in the face. With a roar of pain, it dropped her. Buffy's mind raced as she tried to think of a plan to weaken it. While she was thinking, she was whacked toward the brick wall at the end of the alley.  
  
" Ow!" she screamed. The demon held her viciously against the wall and raised its claw, preparing to strike. She was about to cringe away, to block her face, when she saw a blur of her new love jumping in front of her, and being thrashed by the claw that had been meant for her. The demon roared, even as Oz fell, and sank into the ground. She hurried to Oz after the demon was gone. He lay still and bleeding on the ground. She knelt by him, feeling tears well up in her eyes, and shook him, calling his name, until his eyes fluttered open. He smiled weakly.  
  
" Hey…watch out," he said quietly. She threw her arms around him as he scanned the alley, confused. " Hey, where'd the demon thing go?"  
  
Buffy smiled. " The only thing that could stop him besides the sacrifice of the Slayer was the blood of someone who loves her enough to be willing to sacrifice himself for her." He smiled too, despite the pain in his side where Unselana had clawed him.  
  
" I did all that?" he asked with an expression of surprise. Buffy helped the wounded Oz up, and half-carried him to the hospital.  
  
" Help, someone—anyone, help!" Buffy cried as she entered through the emergency doors.  
  
" Miss? What happened?" a nurse worriedly asked as she hurried up to Oz and Buffy.  
  
"Uh, he was mugged, I think. I was walking by and I found him like this. He much have been stabbed by the muggers." All Oz could do was nod weakly in agreement. After the doctors had taken Oz away on a stretcher, Buffy called Willow and Tara, Giles, and Xander and Anya.  
  
When the rest of the gang arrived, they saw Buffy sitting, holding back tears. Giles nearly collapsed with relief when he saw Buffy alive.  
  
Xander sat next to her. "What happened? Are you hurt?"  
  
Buffy shook her head. " Not me. Demon's gone, though," she added, looking up at Giles. He moved closer, astonished.  
  
"What? How?"  
  
Buffy sighed. " Oz. I choked, and my mind went blank, and Unselana almost killed me. He was willing to get hurt—to die—for me, and it stopped the demon. He, uh, he did get hurt," Buffy replied, matter-of-factly. While saying this she glanced at Willow, who looked away, her face guilty. Buffy stood up and hugged Willow, who began to cry quietly.  
  
" I'm so sorry, Buffy," she whispered. 


	9. The Road To Recovery(Last chapter)

Chapter 9: The Road To Recovery  
  
Oz awoke to see Buffy leaning over him, smiling. He smiled back.  
  
" Are you okay?" he asked her, reaching up and gently touching her face.  
  
" I should be asking you that," she said, touching his cheek. She leaned down and kissed him. " Oz, you shouldn't have done that. You could have killed yourself," Buffy finally said, sitting next to him.  
  
He chuckled. " As they say, people do crazy things when they're in love," he replied, kissing her head softly. Tears welled in her eyes, and she pulled his face up and kissed him. Finally, he grinned. " So when do I get outta here?"  
  
" Uh, tomorrow morning. They want to keep you overnight, to give you a chance to rest." He looked disappointed. "What?" she asked. He shook his head, smiling slightly. " What?" He shook his head again, laughing quietly. She grabbed him by the collar. " What?!" she demanded. He laughed outright, and nodded.  
  
" Fine, geez, I'll tell you. I just…I'd hoped tonight would have been the night we…" he trailed off, his face turning red from embarrassment. Buffy grinned a thoroughly evil grin.  
  
" We what?" she asked innocently.  
  
He glared. " You know perfectly well what. You know…have…a—a slumber party. Yeah, a sleepover…"Buffy laughed, and Oz's face turned a deeper shade of red as Anya, Giles, Tara, Willow and Xander walked in. All of them stared at her, confused, making her laugh harder. Oz groaned, and covered his face with a pillow.  
  
" Did we interrupt? Xander, what did we do?" Anya asked.  
  
" No, you guys didn't. So…what's the latest?" Buffy asked as Tara and Willow began whispering in the back of the room.  
  
"Um, Oz? I want to apologize for the way I acted on Thanksgiving," Willow finally said, making herself known from the crowd gathered at Oz's hospital room door.  
  
" Anya, come on. Let's go find a candy machine and beat the crap out of it," Xander said, pushing Anya out of the room. Giles and Tara followed, interested.  
  
" Oz, do you want anything? A drink?" Buffy asked, standing up from the hospital bed,  
  
" No, thanks," he replied.  
  
"Okay, well, I absolutely need a Coke, so I'll be right back." Buffy left.  
  
" Oz, I'm sorry," Willow said as she sat in the chair next to the bed.  
  
" Don't even worry. I shouldn't have made such a big deal and jumped to conclusions."  
  
Willow sighed. " So…can we be friends?" she asked, her eyes sincere. He nodded.  
  
" I'd like that." He smiled his little half-smile as Buffy walked back in.  
  
" So, do we have a truce?" she asked, walking over to Oz's bed. She set down the soda and lay down next to Oz as he wrapped his arms around her.  
  
Willow laughed. " Yep, we do. I'm, uh—I'm gonna leave you two alone now." She quickly left the room.  
  
Buffy laughed, too. " That was always my line in dealing with you guys…" She sighed. " Oz, I'm never going to forget what you did for me, out there," she said, looking into his hazel eyes.  
  
" Doesn't matter if you do. I love you," he said, growing tired from the wear and tear of the day. He kissed her forehead, and then her nose, and finally their lips met. Buffy felt like the whole world stopped. She wrapped her arms around his neck.  
  
" Say it again," she whispered. He closed his eyes, exhausted.  
  
" Say what?" he murmured.  
  
" That you love me," she replied. He smiled, quickly falling asleep. But he had time to whisper, "I love you" before drifting off. Buffy kissed his forehead.  
  
" I love you, too."  
  
THE END  
  
**Another incredible work of literary genius completed! ** (Applaud!!!!!) 


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